LICENSE: CHRONICLES

 
05.09.2017
 
University
 
What is there with EUSP?

July 27, 2018 EUSP was notified of an unscheduled on-site inspection which will last two days on July 31 and August 1, 2018 according to an online announcement. The inspection will assess the University's compliance with licensing requirements. Assessment will include the condition of university buildings, technical facilities, equipment, and other objects to be used for educational activities. Inspectors Alexander Balashov, Dmitry Sinkov and Elena Verkhovskaya are members of the commission.

July 6, 2018 Rosobrnadzor accepted the documents for examination

July 4, 2018 EUSP filed an application to the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) to obtain a new educational license.

December 6, 2017 An electronic notification sent to EUSP by Rosobrnadzor announced the latter's decision to decline the university's application for an educational license. Simultaneously, the corresponding order signed by Deputy Minister and Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) Sergei Kravtsov appeared on the watchdog's website. State authorities listed two reasons for refusing a license.

Having not met the fire safety requirements is the first reason. On June 9, 2017, however, EUSP had received the conclusive opinion of the Saint Petersburg Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations confirming the full compliance of the building on 6/1, Gagarinskaia Street with the fire safety requirements. Later, another unscheduled inspection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations was conducted at the university in the wake of the complaint filed in September, 2017 by Andrei Anokhin, a Member of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. Eventually, the university was warned and ordered to re-equip five server racks until December 29, 2017. Soon afterwards, the university complied with the order and sent a corresponding notification to the Ministry of Emergency Situations ahead of schedule on December 5, 2017.

The second reason is the allegedly "established fact of providing unreliable information", which is neither disclosed nor substantiated in the text of Rosobrnadzor's order. The university deems it impossible to provide further comments before Rosobrnadzor clarifies what exactly they have considered unreliable information provided by EUSP.

 

October 19, 2017 Rosobrnadzor notified EUSP that the documents for the registration of a new educational license were accepted for examination.

October 17, 2017 EUSP filed a new set of documents.

October 10, 2017 representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Rosobrnadzor and the European University held a meeting in Moscow to discuss the implementation of educational activities by EUSP and the situation that arose after the licensing inspection. EUSP representatives outlined their objections sent to Rosobrnadzor by mail, pointing out that the Inspection Report № 354/ДЛ lacked a list of specific violations and instances of non-compliance, which consequently makes it impossible to take measures to eliminate them. Rosobrnadzor representative Sergei Rukavishnikov said they will officially send a written response to EUSP's objections according to established procedure and within the prescribed time (up to 30 days).

He explained that the inspection was not aimed at identifying shortcomings, but establishing the compliance of the submitted documents with the actual state of affairs in the new building of the university. According to Rukavishnikov, inspections of this kind cannot suggest "expert examination and audit", Rosobrnadzor is only obliged to point out cases of inconsistency with specific articles of the normative framework, but they are not obliged to disclose the essence of "inconsistencies". In other words, Rosobrnadzor is not going to specify these "inconsistencies" because the law does not allow them to do so. When asked by EUSP representatives whether this applies to the expert conclusions on the basis of which the inspection report was drawn up, there was no intelligible answer from Rosobrnadzor. EUSP representatives gave an example: the law says that the signboard for the visually impaired (Braille alphabet) should be located "at the entrance" of the building, but "at the entrance" may mean on the street, between the first and second doors, in the lobby, etc. The understanding of this expression may vary between the university and the inspecting body. How are such disputes resolved? The reply was that in all disputable cases EUSP should send official requests to the authority that has initiated the relevant law - that is, to the Ministry of Education and Science. It must be assumed that Rosobrnadzor proceeds exactly the same way in its interpretations of all the legal provisions, and that the relevant letters of the Ministry are kept somewhere in their archives. A positive response was given to the question whether experts and representatives of Rosobrnadzor should specify the "inconsistencies" during possible court hearings.

EUSP representatives assume that Rosobrnadzor's position, in spite of its formal compliance with the law, actually predetermines the subsequent refusal to grant an educational license to EUSP. They do not make it clear for the University what exactly has dissatisfied the controlling body, and they thereby violate the legitimate rights and interests of the University.

 

October 6, 2017 EUSP has filed its objections to the Inspection Report № 354/ДЛ of the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science of Russia (Rosobrnadzor) dated September 22, 2017.

28 September, 2017 the European University at St. Petersburg received an electronic notification by Rosobrnadzor on the refusal to grant the education licence. We regret that the inspecting agency made its decision while not taking into consideration the position of the university regarding the inspection report of 22.09.2017. We maintain that the results of the inspection are divorced from reality and do not elaborate on the substance of the violations. We hope that Rosobrnadzor provides the explanations and clarifies its position. The university is preparing a new licence application and is ready to take constructive remarks of the regulatory body into consideration should they arise. The university aspires to receive a licence in due course; we will do our best to make it happen.

22 September, 2017 the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science of Russia (Rosobrnadzor) issued an inspection report № 354/ДЛ.

19 September, 2017 the university received an order authorising an unscheduled on-site inspection.

September 18, 2017 Rosobrnadzor's Office of Supervision and Control over Organizations Implementing Educational Activity sent a notice to the EUSP Rector about an upcoming on-site inspection to begin on September 19, 2017.

September 8, 2017 Rosobrnadzor notified EUSP that the documents for the registration of a new educational license were accepted for examination. The licensing commission will visit the university within 45 days to make a decision about issuing a license to the university based on inspection results.

EUSP filed a new set of documents on September 5, 2017.

August 30, 2017 Rosobrnadzor informed the university by e-mail that it has sent a Return Notice.

August 28, 2017 EUSP submitted the updated files in accordance with the requirements of Rosobrnadzor.

August 4, 2017 Rosobrnadzor informed the university by e-mail that it has sent a Notice to eliminate inconsistencies and to provide missing documents. The Notice was delivered at the post office on August 11, 2017. It was registered at EUSP on August 15, 2017.

August 2, 2017 EUSP filed an application to the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) to obtain a new educational license and submitted the required set of documents.